I accept. I, however, do not wish to argue that marijuana should be illegal; rather, I would like to contest that alcohol should remain legal with marijuana, which means that I am still, in essense, against the views of Pro.

To start off with, I have never smoked weed. However I know people that do. My source states " Scientists have confirmed that the cannabis plant contains active ingredients with therapeutic potential for relieving pain, controlling nausea, stimulating appetite, and decreasing ocular pressure. Cannabinoid-based medications include synthetic compounds, such as dronabinol (Marinol�) and nabilone (Cesamet�), which are FDA approved, and a new, chemically pure mixture of plant-derived THC and cannabidiol called Sativex�, formulated as a mouth spray and approved in Canada and parts of Europe for the relief of cancer-associated pain and spasticity and neuropathic pain in multiple sclerosis." http://www.drugabuse.gov...
On the other hand my source says this about alcohol."Alcohol affects every organ in the drinker's body and can damage a developing fetus. Intoxication can impair brain function and motor skills; heavy use can increase risk of certain cancers, stroke, and liver disease. Alcoholism or alcohol dependence is a diagnosable disease characterized by a strong craving for alcohol, and/or continued use despite harm or personal injury. Alcohol abuse, which can lead to alcoholism, is a pattern of drinking that results in harm to one's health, interpersonal relationships, or ability to work."
"In 2009, 51.9% of Americans age 12 and older had used alcohol at least once in the 30 days prior to being surveyed; 23.7% had binged (5+ drinks within 2 hours); and 6.8% drank heavily (5+ drinks on 5+ occasions). In the 12-17 age range, 14.7% had consumed at least one drink in the 30 days prior to being surveyed; 8.8% had binged; and 2.1% drank heavily."
"The NIDA-funded 2010 Monitoring the Future Study showed that 13.8% of 8th graders, 28.9% of 10th graders, and 41.2% of 12th graders had consumed at least one drink in the 30 days prior to being surveyed, and 5.0% of 8th graders, 14.7% of 10th graders, and 26.8% of 12th graders had been drunk."
This is a few stats and facts.

As I have already stated, I agree that marijuana is a good herb that can benefit a lot of people. I also agree that it should be legalized. This is not what my primarily issue is with Pro’s statement: my issue with it is that he wants alcohol to be illegalized. I agree with Pro, in that alcohol can be a very bad drug. I do not think anybody can deny this. However, I would like to point out how outlawing it will cause significant problems in this country, as it did in the 1920s’.

The Eighteenth Amendment

On December 18th, 1917, Congress in the United States passed the eighteenth amendment to the United States Constitution. This bill’s full text is as followed [1]:

“Section 1.After one year from the ratification of this article the manufacture, sale, or transportation of intoxicating liquors within, the importation thereof into, or the exportation thereof from the United States and all territory subject to the jurisdiction thereof for beverage purposes is hereby prohibited.

Section 2. The Congress and the several States shall have concurrent power to enforce this article by appropriate legislation.

Section 3. This article shall be inoperative unless it shall have been ratified as an amendment to the Constitution by the legislatures of the several States, as provided in the Constitution, within seven years from the date of the submission hereof to the States by the Congress.”

As you can see, alcohol has already been prohibited in the United States. If Pro is aware of United States history, you likely know the consequences brought about by this prohibition. I will submit to the debate several graphs and charts, proving the obvious consequences that came about through the prohibition of alcohol in the 1920s':

As you can see from this graph, the conception of alcohol was severely stunted for a year. However, afterwards, the consumption of alcohol skyrocketed back to its average levels. The problem with this chart should be obvious: if alcohol was outlawed in 1919, and it was not repealed until 1933, how did alcohol consumption skyrocket back to its normal levels almost immediately after its ban? This graph proves that the prohibition of alcohol did not prevent anybody (but the most law-abiding citizen) from actually drinking alcohol. It was a useless law, and, in other cases, a detrimental law.

As you can see, the amount of prisoners sharply increased due to this prohibition. This prohibition, as we have already established, not only did not stop alcoholics, but also steeply increased prison population, which costs a lot of money to maintain. This law did not stop alcoholics, it simply made alcoholics criminals, which only hindered our system, but actually increased crimes other than alcohol:

Take note of this chart. Murder rates are fairly high before the prohibition. But take note: directly after the 18th ammendment was enforced, murder rates skyrocketed until its peak at 1933; Franklin D. Roosevelt legalized alcohol almost immediately after going into office. Then, crime rates significantly lowered from 1934 on. What does this tell us? It tells us that not only was prohibition uneffective and costly, but it also actually increased crime rates. The reason these crime rates increased was because the American Mafia took over the bootlegging industry after alcohol industries went under. Bootlegging is the act of smuggling in illicit drugs - in this case, alcohol - and selling it on the streets.

By doing this, the Mafia became incredibly rich (just as gangs are incredibly rich selling drugs, pornography in the '70s, and illegal firearms, which is why I am against the criminalization of all drugs, and certain firearms today), and incredibly powerful.[3][4]

Conclusion:In conclusion, the prohibition of alcohol has never, and will never, work. It will increase murders and other, more horrible crimes; allow criminal organizations to flourish; destroy jobs by shutting down alcohol producing factories; and it never has nor will it ever stop the drinking of alcohol, just as the War on Drugs has not nor will it ever stop the recreational use of illicit drugs.

I commend con for pointing those points out. But i took US history and am aware of the problems prohibition caused but if you consider this. My source said this "Most people agree that drugs are bad, but some British researchers have found that alcohol is most dangerous to your health and lifestyle.

The new study conducted by a team of British scientists is abuzz on the Internet.

After evaluating drugs like alcohol, cocaine, heroin and marijuana, the team found that overall, alcohol is most dangerous to individual users and society as a whole.

Hardcore drugs like heroin, crack cocaine and crystal meth are the deadliest drugs. However, when researchers analyzed several categories -- the addictive nature of drugs, how they harm the body, their role in tearing families apart and economic costs -- alcohol far exceeded all the others.

"Unquestionably the reason it's so harmful is because so many people use it," said Dr. David Nutt, who lead the study. "So many people are dependent on it, so many people get into trouble with it."

The World Health Organization estimates alcohol abuse is responsible for 2.5 million deaths a year. That number includes heart and liver disease, suicides, cancer and auto accidents -- like one in North Carolina that claimed the life of a 20-year-old aspiring ballerina. The driver who hit her had a blood alcohol level more than twice the legal limit.

Researchers hope their study causes governments to rethink the way they classify drugs. One researcher said they should consider more education programs and possibly raising the price of alcohol, so it isn't as widely available."http://www.cbn.com...

That was a good response, Con. However, my only real contort is this: the illegalization of alcohol has not, nor will it ever, stop people from using alcohol. It will simply create more problems. From your quoted link, it appears as if you are saying that the reason that alcohol is so dangerous is because so many people use it. I say, therefore, that prohibition will not stop the use, and therefore your justification for your wish to prohibit it is moot.

Its an interesting debate, ill give the pro that, but the con has to explain why Marijuana should be illegal and why Alcohol should be legal, and if the con focuses on one more than the other then it compromises his case either way.

The debate is more than do-able, im just concerned about the quality of the arguments by the con since he has to argue two different complicated things....

Reasons for voting decision: Pro established that we have an alcohol problem. Con agreed. Pro recommended prohibition as the solution. Con said that prohibition didn't solve the problem. Prohibition has serious side effects, without curing the problem. Rather than deal with Con's argument, Pro reaffirmed that alcohol is a problem, which was not in dispute.
Victory: Con.
Conduct for missing a round.

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